True Colors Summary:
Disclaimers: I own nothing. They all belong to someone else.
A/N:
Chapter 25: Consequences Part 2
Standing behind the fae, Alec appeared perfectly calm as he waited anxiously for confirmation the potential threat had been neutralized. He was impressed the young woman had given no noticeable response when he'd let her know they had company. Of course, they'd anticipated the possibility.
The knight had been careful to set the volume on his comms so low that the other vampires in the room wouldn't hear anything and was now glad for that forethought.
"Two vamps, both from Sophie-Ann's guard. We have them detained and will work on getting information, but will make sure they're available for you guys when you're done."
Quickly passing on the information, he knew Eric would use this to their advantage if the need arose. He also knew those two better prove useful, or they wouldn't make it back to the Queen.
Trying to sit still in her chair, the telepath was getting anxious to have the trial over with, but knew the worst was likely yet to come. Receiving a reassuring squeeze of her hand from Godric, she took a slow sip of her tea as the magister rose.
"It will be over soon, little one. Remember, no matter what happens we will keep you safe." Although he tried to keep his thoughts positive, a mental image of him staking Bill slipped through.
Before he could apologize for the slip, she reassured him. "If it comes to that, I'll stake the bastard myself."
Although their instincts were to protect her, both of her vampire mates radiated sheer pride at her silent declaration. She was definitely not the plaything Bill had managed to manipulate any longer. Their mate was made of stronger stuff than the idiot could ever comprehend.
Antsy to get to the point of actually punishing, the magister called for everyone's attention. "It's time to move on with the remaining claim."
Compton squirmed slightly, still unsure about the second claim. The only idea he'd come up with was some variety of insubordination against Sheriff Northman, but surely his connection to the Queen would quickly put that to rest.
Sookie silently wondered how many hours of amusement their family would get from Bill's thoughts during the trial. If it weren't such a serious occasion, she would have spent the better part of the evening laughing at his unique mix of arrogance and stupidity.
Fixing an icy glare on the guilty party, because really there was no point in referring to him as merely accused, the magister began.
"William Compton, you are charged with the assault and attempted murder of Ms. Sookie Stackhouse while she was under the protection of the Sheriff of Area Five, the now former Sheriff of Area Nine, and the current Sheriff of Area Nine."
To no one's surprise, Bill jumped out of his seat ready to argue, only to slam back into the seat when his shoulders encountered the large hands of the guard behind him. Growling in aggravation, he tried to sound authoritative as he declared, "She is my human and was in Dallas as such. What right did they have to interfere in our personal relationship? As my human, she had and has no claim on their protection."
A series of hisses erupted from every vampire across from him. The magister, temporarily stunned by yet another outburst, simply stared at him as if he were waiting for lightning to strike. The fact that he didn't deny the attempted murder portion of the claim wasn't lost on the lawman.
"Is he serious? How in Hades did you ever put up with his shit?" Sookie quirked her shoulder slightly at the knight's question, frankly she wasn't sure about that herself. She was starting to compare him to a spoiled preschooler that thought every toy they touched was theirs.
Allowing a moment for the Shreveport group to settle down from the idiot's latest outburst, the magister shook his head. "Mr. Compton, must we go over this again?"
Not waiting for an answer, he motioned to two of the guards. The large men each reached a gloved hand into the pockets of their leather coats and pulled out two lengths of lightweight silver chain. Getting a nod from the magister, they stepped forward as the guard behind Bill restrained him.
"You were warned to keep your seat and control yourself. Now you will suffer the consequences." As he spoke, one guard wrapped the silver around Bill's wrists and the arms of the chair while the other did the same to his ankles.
"Now, if everyone can be patient I'll continue reading the charges."
As the magister picked the claim back up, Sookie and her mates struggled not to roll their eyes at Bill's internal panic. "Continue? What the hell? Isn't their stupid claim of attempted murder enough? What else can they possible pair with that? Damn, this silver fucking burns."
"Anyone care to venture a bet on how long before he forgets the silver and has another outburst?" The Viking teased.
"Knowing what the magister is about to say, no way!" The fae wouldn't touch that bet.
The magister's voice focused their attention back on him though everyone kept an eye on Bill. "Additionally, you are charged with the assault and attempted murder of the mate of the vampire Eric Northman and the vampire Godric."
Bill's expression was pure confusion as he processed what he'd just heard. "What, they aren't mated to anyone. I would have noticed if I'd attacked three women."
The magister retained a solemn expression while mentally anticipating his reaction. "Outburst in 3, 2, 1…"
"That's a lie. The only one I touched in Dallas was Sookie."
"And there's the admission of guilt." The magister smirked.
"I don't know what lies those two and their minions fed you, but I didn't lay a hand on any other whores they may call their mates." A round of animalistic growls from the vampires surrounding Sookie silenced him for a moment.
"No one said you attacked anyone other than Ms. Stackhouse; however, since you seem too stupid to connect the dots I'll spell it out for you. You made a grievous mistake when you attacked Ms. Stackhouse. Although you seem determined to insist that she was your human, she had, according to multiple witnesses, terminated her relationship with you. During this time, she came under the protection of the sheriffs, two of which also happen to be mated to her."
"I don't care what they say, it's all lies. She is my human. They are manipulating her to stay with them by forcing their blood on her." His verbal argument was frantic; his internal panic more so. "She's going to kill me. Shit, Sophie-Ann is going to kill me when she finds out the stupid telepath is still alive and I didn't deliver her."
"Oh for fuck's sake, shut the hell up so we can get this finished!" Pam couldn't take his rambling. If he kept this up, she was going to stake the pathetic excuse for a vampire herself before he drove them all insane. She'd seen fangbangers with more self-respect. Suddenly remembering where they were, she looked semi-apologetically at the magister.
Past the point of being offended by someone else saying what he wished he could, the lawman simply grinned at her. "I'll second Ms. de Beaufort's request. The sooner you settle down the sooner we can resolve the claim against you." The magister leaned back in his chair waiting to see what would happen next.
Bill wisely chose to listen. Leaning back in the chair, he stared at the magister waiting for the older vampire to continue.
"Setting aside your latest outburst, I need to determine the details of what occurred in Dallas. I'm going to ask a few questions and I highly recommend you stick to answering them without additional commentary."
Everyone present nodded in agreement and waited silently for the questioning to begin.
"Mr. Compton, while in Dallas did Ms. Stackhouse separate herself from you and indicate a desire to have no further contact?"
Squirming in his seat, Bill watched Sookie as he responded. "Kind of, but she was tricked into it. Not to mention, as my human she had no right…"
Interrupting before any more bullshit could come out of his mouth; the magister was starting to wonder how Compton hadn't gotten himself staked years ago.
"What did I just say about answering questions? At any rate, I'm going to take that as a yes. Second, were you instructed by Sheriff Northman to allow Ms. Stackhouse to initiate any additional contact?"
Grumbling to himself, he finally spoke clearly enough for everyone to hear when the magister cleared his throat. "Yes."
"When meeting with Ms. Flanagan, was Ms. Stackhouse accompanied by any vampires?"
"Yes." Bill's tone conveyed his annoyance clearly. He needed a chance to explain why he had to keep Sookie, once the Queen's connection was made clear this would all blow over.
"Which vampires?"
"Eric, his pest of a maker that caused all this fuss, and the bitch that's stuck up his ass." Amazingly, the three in question showed no response. At this point, being insulted by him was almost a compliment.
Slamming his hand down, yet again, the magister left another indention in the table. His voice elevated as he spoke. "Mr. Compton, I will not tolerate such disrespect. One more comment like that and you're going to lose a fang."
"Fine." To everyone's amusement, he was acting more and more like a petulant child.
"On the night in question, how did Ms. Stackhouse end up in your room?"
Reading his thoughts, the fae and her mates knew he was going to lie. Fortunately, they also knew the magister had called the hotel and retrieved security camera footage that showed what truly happened.
"She came to my room, begging me to take her back and forgive her for her earlier behavior. She insisted they'd coerced her into going to them and declaring she didn't want to speak to me."
Raising an eyebrow as he brought his folded hands to his chin, two fingers stretched over his lips, the magister sat quietly staring at the accused for a moment. The silence made the idiot squirm as he silently wondered if there was any way the magister could know he'd lied.
"Are you sure that's the way it happened." The straight face question gave no hint of what would come next.
"Of course I am." His declaration was at odds with his thoughts. "Of course I'm not, but you've got no way of proving that."
"Then you won't mind if we take a look at the security footage from outside your room?"
Bill seemed to start choking at the question, suddenly unable to respond. "Shit."
Standing from the table, the magister moved to the flat screen television on the wall behind him and pushed a few buttons. Seconds later, the screen came to life with the sight of Sookie running down the hall.
Feeling the telepath's emotions spike at the memory of why she was running down the hall that morning, both mates tried to flood their bond with as much love and calm as they could. Giving a small smile, she was thankful they were at her side.
Even knowing what was coming; Sookie flinched as she watched herself being grabbed on the screen.
"Now, would you like to take another shot at answer the question?"
Realizing he'd been backed into a corner, Bill decided it was now or never. "She needed to be taught a lesson. I had to make her see reason so she would come back to Louisiana with me. I was supposed to deliver her…"
"Enough!" Everyone jumped as Andre shouted, from where he'd been standing silently throughout the circus.
"But it's her fault that I'm in this mess. He'll let me go if he knows I was only following orders."
"Following orders? What orders were you given that involved nearly killing the girl?" The magister encouraged him to make the claim he so desperately wanted to so he'd have official record of Sophie-Anne's dealings.
Everyone but the guards knew what Bill and Andre were referencing. Of course, everyone but the pair also knew that the Queen's involvement wouldn't save him from anything.
"Gentlemen, and I use that term very loosely, would you care to explain to the rest of us what orders you are referring to?"
Before Bill could answer, Andre cut him off. "No, he is simply trying to shift blame to save himself. The information isn't relevant."
Compton looked stunned at the other vampire's words. He'd been certain Sophie-Anne sent Andre with him to help clear whatever charges were levied, not stop him from explaining.
Seeing the Queen's right hand wasn't going to let Bill drop the information yet, he decided to continue. "So far, Mr. Compton, you've done nothing but lie to me and turn this trial into a three ring circus. Clearly, you are guilty of attacking Ms. Stackhouse. Is there anything you can say to defend your behavior?"
Looking across the table at the telepath, Bill thought for a moment. "She's only human, why are a bunch of vampires so concerned with what happens to her?" Perhaps if he could convince them she wasn't worth the hassle.
Eric gripped the arm of his chair in an effort to focus the rage he felt at Compton's words. As the wood creaked, the magister glanced at him before returning his gaze to the defendant. "Not your wisest choice of words."
Placing his hands on the back of the chair he had occupied earlier, the magister leaned forward. "If she is only a mere human, why are you so concerned with trying to keep her?" Seeing Andre stepping toward Bill, the magister shook his head. He understood the man's purpose here, but he needed to give him a chance to hang Sophie-Anne with him.
Realizing the truth was coming to come out, one way or another, Andre leaned back against the wall. The best thing he could do now was stay out of it and hope that he could find a way to prove himself to Sheriff Northman.
"I am under orders to procure the telepath for my queen." Pausing dramatically, he expected more of a reaction. He expected this to be a startling revelation for the magister. Unfortunately, his hopes seemed to fall short as the man simply smirked at him.
"Given the directive from The Authority to do our best to fit in with human society and not make more enemies, do you think forcing the telepath into service with Sophie-Anne was the correct decision? So much for being Nan's poster boy for mainstreaming."
Rolling his eyes, Bill failed to consider his next words before he spoke. "She's just a stupid waitress from a little backwoods town in Louisiana. Who the hell was going to notice, or care, when she stopped showing up to work?"
Turning his back to the table, the magister opened a door on a cabinet against the wall. When he turned back, he held a pair of pliers in his hand. "I believe that qualifies as disrespect, and I already told you I will not tolerate it."
Using his full vampire speed, the magister was next to Bill shoving his head back brutally in less than a second. Instinctively the younger vampire's fangs extended. They'd barely finished when the pliers gripped one and jerked it out.
With a final squeeze of Compton's neck, the magister crossed the room and dropped the fang into a jar half full of other fangs.
Oozing blood from the new hole in his mouth, Bill sagged in his chair.
"Now, do you mean to tell us that your presence in Bon Temps was entirely due to your assignment from Queen Sophie-Anne?"
His reply was somewhat garbled from his recently acquired wound. "Yeah."
"I believe it is time to determine your punishment. First, after you serve any elements of punishment that require your presence here, you will leave Louisiana and never return. Second, of those assets remaining after Ms. Hamby has received her portion ninety-five percent will be forfeit to Ms. Stackhouse."
Sookie, Godric, and Eric would have argued that they wanted nothing of his, but they didn't wish to displease the magister. It took only a second for the young fae to decide she would donate the entire sum to some place that aided battered women in Shreveport. It seemed only fitting that the beating she received from the man she thought loved her would give many other women a chance at a better life.
Her mates were less than surprised at her decision. She wouldn't want money from him, even if she didn't have access to both of their rather sizeable fortunes.
"Now, the remainder of your sentence will be served following the previously established punishment for your dealings with Ms. Hamby." The first thirty day so silver would leave him nicely weakened before it went further.
"Following your silver treatment, you will be subject to a beating courtesy of Godric and Mr. Northman and any they invite to participate." Based on his knowledge of the young woman's family and the group present during his visit to Northman's residence he expected it to be a large and colorful group. "They will be given one week to complete their portion of your sentence, during which time you will be confined here and tended to by me."
By tended to, he meant given just the drop or two of blood that would keep him alive without rendering him any real ability to heal from the beating or the silver.
"At the end of the week, you will spend another sixty days in silver. Upon your release, you will immediately leave Louisiana. Do not stop to pack or feed. What you need immediately following your release, I will provide for you."
Bill looked completely stunned at the severity of his punishment. He'd be lucky to survive one day with Northman and his oddball gang, much less a week followed by two months in silver. Perhaps he could use the first thirty days to convince the magister to free him.
"One more thing, every vampire in this room should be aware that I am placing a protection order on Ms. Stackhouse and fully expect The Authority to back it. If any vampire makes any attempt to harm her, in any way, they are subject to immediate true and final death. There will be no trial and no punishment for those defending her."
It didn't take a mind reader to know how pleased the majority of the vampires in the room were with this proclamation.
Staring straight at the Queen's progeny, he added further clarification. "That includes orchestrating or participating in any attempts to abduct Ms. Stackhouse or place her into service. Now, Andre, do you think your queen will heed the warning and back down?"
With barely any hesitation, he replied. "I don't believe you should trust the queen no matter what she promises."
Everyone in the room, aside from Bill, gave him a questioning look. His emphasis on saying the instead of my in reference to Sophie-Anne was not missed.
The Viking took this opportunity to mention their guests outside. "I'm inclined to agree, it appears she sent two of her guards to keep tabs on things this evening."
The magister's focus shifted to the Viking with a questioning look before returning his gaze to Andre. "Did you know she was sending additional guards?"
No one needed the answer; the expression on Sophie-Anne's progeny's face said it all. "No. She pawned Compton off on me and told me to report when we returned."
"That stupid, bitch is going to get me killed if she keeps this shit up." Andre knew her well enough to know she wouldn't back down. She would have mixed reactions to losing Bill. She really couldn't stand him, but he was willing to grovel appropriately and feed her already inflated ego.
Tired of dealing with Bill, who was largely unresponsive at this point, the magister turned to a pair of the guards. "If you gentlemen would care to escort Mr. Compton to his new accommodations, I'll join you shortly to take care of the distribution of his assets."
Using their gloved hands, the two men removed his silver restraints before hauling him out the door. As the heavy doors shut behind them, the magister turned again to Andre.
"I suggest you return to your maker and advise her against continuing her pursuit of Ms. Stackhouse. I would recommend you remain ignorant of the presence of her guards outside."
Pushing himself away from the wall, he nodded. "Yes, magister." Turning to Eric, he met the Viking's eyes. "For what it's worth, I will do my best to let you know if I catch wind of anything." Not waiting for a response, he fled the room before anyone spoke.
Understanding their presence was no longer required, the other two guards headed to join their counterparts in Bill's cell.
Everyone remained silent long enough for them to get out of earshot. The five still in their seats rose as each of the vampires moved to give their beloved fae a hug.
Alec spoke quietly and quickly through the comms. He provided no details, but let everyone know things were wrapping up and had gone well.
"Mr. Northman, I think we have quite a bit to discuss, but I need to deal with Mr. Compton and have a call with The Authority later tonight."
Seeing the alarm in the eyes of Eric and Godric, he quickly reassured them. "You can be assured of my discretion regarding Ms. Stackhouse's gift. If it is agreeable, I'll give you a call tomorrow to set up a time to come by and speak with you."
The Viking glanced at his maker before replying. "That is fine with us. Other than popping by Fangtasia to check on things, I believe our schedules are open the next few nights."
"I trust you'll be taking the uninvited visitors with you?"
"Yes, I believe we'll drop them by the club to deal with tomorrow. Frankly, we have better things to deal with tonight."
Exchanging brief farewells, the group quickly made their way to the exit. Everyone was anxious to get back to the house and recount the evening.
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Charlie pulled the SUV around to the employee entrance of Fangtasia. As they'd all prepared to leave the magister's office, Eric asked him and Ben to escort Pam and Isabelle to drop off their prisoners.
The rather intimidating female vampires had insisted that he drive so they could spend a little quality time with Sophie-Anne's guards.
As soon as the vehicle stopped, the two weres jumped out to open the doors for the vampires. The ladies had no problem maneuvering their prisoners out of the vehicle.
Pam handed Ben a key to open the employee door then preceded them into the building, leading the way to the dungeon.
"Boys, would you mind hooking our friends here up to those shackles." She motioned her head toward the far wall in what appeared to be a small cell.
"Yes, ma'am." The roll of her eyes indicated her annoyance at being called ma'am.
Ten minutes and a quick loop through the club later, the four piled back into the SUV. It was time to go home and celebrate.
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Given the lateness of the hour, Eric expected to find it rather quiet when they walked into the house. Instead, they found his three most trusted employees waiting anxiously for news.
As soon as they saw Sookie, the three visibly relaxed. She'd returned unharmed and in good spirits, a clear indicator that everything had gone well.
The telepath quickly noticed their presence and gave them a broad smile. "Relax, everything went well. The magister was clearly on our side from the get go, and Bill didn't know what hit him."
Wrapping an arm around her waist, Godric pulled her toward the hall leading to the bedroom. Throwing a glance over his shoulder at the group coming in behind them, he laughed. "If you all will excuse us for a bit, we have something to attend to before we debrief."
The laughter of the weres followed them down the hall as Sookie blushed a deep crimson. "I can't believe you just said that. I'd expect that from Eric, not you."
Leaning over to nuzzle her neck, the ancient vampire whispered. "He was going to, but I beat him to it. Little one, you must know that after tonight we both feel a very strong, instinctual need to claim you as ours."
His words sent a shiver down her spine. If she was honest with herself, after everything the jackass said she felt a need to be claimed by those she knew honestly loved her.
As soon as they were inside the bedroom door, her Viking finally spoke up his voice somewhat strained. "Lover, we will do our best to go slow and worship you as you deserve, but…"
Breaking free of Godric's hold, she placed herself directly in front of her other mate and placed a finger over his lips. "Eric, let yourself feel what I feel and pay attention to what I'm thinking."
Closing his eyes, he did as she instructed. Godric did the same from behind her. They'd been so pre-occupied worried they'd upset her if they got to excited they hadn't realized she needed this as much as they did.
Seeing the image in her mind of what she wanted, they were more than willing to comply.
The Viking roughly claimed her lips as he backed toward the bed, ripping the clothes free of her body. When the back of his knees hit the bed, he broke free to divest himself of his clothes.
Already naked, Godric circled his arm around Sookie as he left a trail of kisses on her neck and shoulders. The fae gasped as one hand caressed her breast and the other trailed lower. Her body jerked with sheer pleasure as his fingers found their destination.
"Oh fuck, you are ready aren't you?" The question came out as a low growl.
Opening her eyes, the fae took in the sight of a very naked and very aroused Eric leaning back on the bed, knees spread so she could reach her destination.
As Godric pressed his steely length against her backside, she placed her hands on either side of Eric's hips and gave him a wicked grin that was almost his undoing.
Lowering her head, she ran her tongue gently up the length of his shaft, before taking him in her mouth. The sudden hiss that escaped his lips told her she was doing something right.
As she found her rhythm with the Viking, Godric gripped her hips firmly and eased himself into her. An involuntary moan escaped her as she kept her mouth and tongue working.
Fully seated inside his mate, the ancient vampire pulled slowly back. The overwhelming pleasure from his beloved's heat making his eyes roll back.
Hearing a small whimper from her as he withdrew, he quickly slammed back into her. Matching his rhythm to hers with Eric, he let himself go.
It took only moments before he felt her tighten around him as her release approached. As she went over the edge, it pushed him to find his own.
No one in the house would be left guessing what was happening, as the two vampires yelled out as they came.
Despite his slightly stunned state, Godric was careful to catch Sookie as her body sagged from the force of her orgasm.
As the after sex euphoria settled around the three, the vampires were surprised again as their mate pulled Godric's wrist to her mouth and bit. After a few long pulls, she licked the wound and stretched her hand out toward Eric, silently asking for his. Repeating the process, she licked her blood stained lips.
Pulling her closer, to the bed, the Viking stretched up, gently caressing her neck as he licked his lips. With no hesitation, she shifted her head to the side, allowing him access to bite. When he finished, she shifted to the other side giving Godric access to bite from behind her.
"Lover, I believe we need a shower before we rejoin the others."
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Nearly two hours later, the trio finally made their way to the sitting room. At the smell of food, Sookie's stomach growled causing her vampires to frown.
"We better feed you before Jamie accuses us of trying to starve you to death." Eric winked at the chef as she looked up. The woman came forward and clasped the telepath's hand, dragging her over to the buffet she'd set up along one wall.
Seeing the sofa was open, the two vampires made their way over to wait for their mate.
They'd no more than taken their seat when Eric's cell phone rang. Pressing a quick button, he answered. "Magister, I'm surprised we're hearing from you so soon."
A long pause followed as the Viking listened. "Good, we'll see you here tomorrow evening. I look forward to hearing more about this meeting request from The Authority."
As he disconnected the call, every pair of eyes in the room focused on him.
"Well, it appears The Authority wishes to have a video conference with the three of us in a few days."
Stunned silence overtook the room, everyone wondering just what the three most feared vampires in the world wanted with them.
- THE END -
A/N: Epilogue will be up shortly and then it's on to the sequel.
In the meantime, check out the two True Blood fanfics posted by my wonderful beta and sister, OrangePlasticGummyBear. The stories are titled "The Blood That Binds" and "The Sheriff's Nest: Living Bizarre In Dallas"